At just 21 years old, Gio Reyna could be the key to the USMNT’s success at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as long as new manager, Mauricio Pochettino gives him the freedom to reach his ultimate potential.
Gio Reyna, son of former USMNT star Claudio Reyna, made his debut at Borussia Dortmund four years ago and very quickly etched his name in the Bundesliga history books. All before his 18th birthday, the midfielder became the youngest American to feature in Germany’s top-flight league, the youngest goalscorer in German Cup history and the youngest American to play in a Champions League match.
Reyna’s impressive club performances led to his first senior call-up to the U.S. men's national team in the same year, and the Dortmund player scored his first goal for the Stars and Stripes after just 18 minutes on the pitch.
In the following years, though, the American international failed to find consistency for both club and country due to various injuries, an unsuccessful loan spell at Nottingham Forest and highly publicized issues with former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter. It did not help that Reyna was often pigeonholed into playing as a central midfielder or a winger when he truly thrived as an attacking midfielder.
The arrival of Pochettino is just what Reyna needs to finally reclaim the stardom of his youth and take his career to the next level. The 52-year-old manager helped develop players like Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Heung-min Son, and now he has the opportunity to work with Reyna, who possesses the creativity and dribbling ability to become the United States’ new No. 10.
If this summer’s Copa América was any indication, the USMNT is severely lacking a playmaker whose name is not Christian Pulisic. Reyna proved in his early Bundesliga years that he has the vision to thread a perfectly timed ball into the box for a streaking forward and the poise to handle or receive the ball in tight spaces. Plus, he is more than capable of finding the back of the net with his right foot.
Reyna is waiting for a coach to give him the green light to play behind the No. 9 and facilitate his striker and wingers in the final third. If Pochettino is going to find success with the same squad that crashed out of the Copa América in the group stage, then he will need to turn his new midfielder’s recent regression into a resurgence.
The 21-year-old already has eight goals and five assists for the USMNT in 31 appearances, and when deployed in a new system and the correct position, his skill could lead the Stars and Stripes into a new era under Pochettino.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mauricio Pochettino Must Unlock Gio Reyna’s Potential.
